Wyss Institute Welcomes Hong Kong Biotechnology Delegation

Executive leaders and researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering welcomed the Hong Kong Biotechnology Delegation to the United States at their facilities in the heart of the Longwood Medical Area on June 24. The visit was designed to exchange ideas and advances in the field of biotechnology and identify potential areas of collaboration between the Wyss Institute and entities in Hong Kong and mainland China.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to meet with the Hong Kong Delegation to discuss an area with such exciting potential as biotechnology,” said Wyss Institute Founding Director Donald E. Ingber, M.D., Ph.D. “We hope that today’s meeting will lay the foundation for many more conversations about ways in which we can work together to continue making advances that will have a meaningful impact on people everywhere.”

The Hong Kong Delegation was organized by a mix of private and government entities. It was led by Professor Albert Cheung-Hoi Yu, CEO of the biotechnology company Hai Kang Life Corporation Limited and Chairman of the nonprofit Hong Kong Biotechnology Organization, and E. Anthony Tan, CEO of the government’s Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Yu and Tan provided an introduction to Hong Kong’s biotechnology sector during the visit. They were joined by Ralph Chow, Director of Product Promotion for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, which runs three of the world’s largest trade fairs. Another 17 delegates, representing Hong Kong biotechnology companies and academic institutions, also participated.

Ingber kicked off the visit with an overview of the Institute’s mission of applying insights from nature to create and commercialize new bioinspired materials and devices that will revolutionize many areas of society. He also explained the Institute’s unique model for technology innovation and collaboration that is gaining world-wide attention.

The Delegation toured the Institute’s research labs, meeting with lead scientists and staff to discuss their work in projects that range from organs-on-microchips that may accelerate drug safety and efficacy testing to shoe insoles that provide sensory enhancement to the foot of the user so as to reduce the risk of sudden falls.